Hanging Tough

Intense Heat Snaps Skid After Shaq Is Hurt

MIAMI — The calendar shows this as the final week of the regular season.

The intensity on the court at AmericanAirlines Arena, especially late in the fourth quarter, showed something different Sunday.

Offering a glimpse of postseason grit, the Heat held off Indiana 84-80 to snap a season-worst four-game losing streak.

"The game is different now," coach Stan Van Gundy said of the playoff-like intensity that heightened tensions in the waning minutes.

Of course, this game also was all too typical for the Heat in another respect, and that made the afternoon unsettling, even as Van Gundy's team snapped its 12-game regular-season skid against the Pacers.

Three games after getting Shaquille O'Neal back from a stomach virus, the Heat lost its star center just before halftime with a bruised right thigh when he took a knee from driving Pacers forward Jermaine O'Neal.

Van Gundy called the injury "a deep thigh contusion" and said, "we won't play him until he's 100 percent."

With the Heat to close the regular season with a Tuesday-Wednesday back-to-back set against visiting Charlotte and at Orlando, it is possible O'Neal won't return until next weekend's start of the postseason, when the opponent in the best-of-7 series will be Philadelphia, New Jersey or Cleveland.

Lacking its most physical player, the Heat found itself roughed up in the second half by the team that eliminated it from last season's playoffs.

Just as Detroit did in last Sunday's victory at AmericanAirlines Arena, the third of the three games O'Neal was lost to his stomach ailment, Indiana pushed and shoved as much as a forgiving officiating crew would allow.

"The only teams that get away with it are Indiana and Detroit," Van Gundy said. "They play by a different rule book."

So when Pacers guard Anthony Johnson took a swing at Alonzo Mourning with 1:41 to play, O'Neal's replacement in the middle eventually backed away. And when the Pacers' O'Neal flagrantly fouled Udonis Haslem moments later, the Heat power forward walked away from the incident.

Miller, who is retiring at season's end, might have played his last game in South Florida. With the loss, Indiana remained as the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs and out of the Heat's second-round bracket.

For a while, though, it appeared the Pacers would be rising in the playoff standings. But a dramatic blocked shot by Mourning, followed by a 3-pointer by guard Damon Jones with 2:31 to play staked the Heat to a sufficient lead.

Through O'Neal's injury, through its newfound resolve, the Heat was able to endure despite 4-of-15 shooting by guard Dwyane Wade. It was the fourth sub-par game for Wade in his past five, an unusual pattern considering he scored a career-high 48 in Thursday's loss in Philadelphia. Nonetheless, Wade's 13 points Sunday pushed him to the top of the Heat's single-season scoring list at 1,840, surpassing the 1,831 scored by Glen Rice in 1994-95.

"We're a talented team, and we're a tough team," Wade said. "I don't know if people think we're soft because we live in Miami or what. But whether Shaq's playing or Shaq's not playing, we're going out and showing we're a good basketball team."

Ira Winderman can be reached at iwinderman @sun-sentinel.com.

SIZING UP SHAQ

Stat line: Shaquille O'Neal had 11 points, three rebounds and one blocked shot in 17 minutes Sunday against the Pacers.

Power play: O'Neal had his way with Pacers center Scot Pollard early, either powering into deep post position or hoisting short hooks.

At the line: There were only three attempts, but that still allowed O'Neal to lower his career-worst .462 percentage, with only one conversion.

Hack-a-Shaq: It wasn't intentional, but Pacers power forward Jermaine O'Neal caught Shaq in the right thigh with his left knee on a drive late in the second quarter. The contact ended Shaq's afternoon. The Heat center checked out for good with 43.7 seconds to play before halftime, diagnosed with a bruised right quadriceps.